Psa 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

All around us we are surrounded by troubles of various kinds. But the Lord is our strength and our shield. No matter what may come against me, I am assured that the Lord will deliver me and that justice will come to my enemies.

While praying for the recent terror events around the world and the salvation of those affected by the evil, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the coming of the Lord might be like for those who don’t know the Lord.  Regardless of one’s relationship with Christ, ALL men will bow before Him and give account for his actions.

Rom 14:11-12 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

As I watched news clips and interviews about the ISIS terrorists, I began to feel more and more callous to their plight. I finally came to the conclusion, “They will get what they deserve!” And then it hit me… I have friends, neighbors, and family members who don’t know the Lord. And though it seemed appealing to me that the members of this awful terrorist group will spend eternity in hell… I began to realize that those around me that I love and care about have the same destiny.

God’s perfect grace is balanced by his perfect justice. As I began to ponder this I was overwhelmed at the need to reach those I love with the Gospel. The deepest need of all people, whether they are a terrorist, a neighbor, or my son or daughter, is the need to fall in love with Jesus Christ.

ISIS is pure evil… and to think that we all have family members who
may spend eternity with the likes of them breaks my heart.

So, where is the hope? My hope is in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I think of Saul of Tarsus who was one of the greatest persecutors of the church. On the Damascus rode he was kicked off his horse and the Lord grabbed hold of his life. Jesus Christ turned Saul from a terrorist into an evangelist and he became the greatest missionary that ever lived.

God preserves me, he sustains me, and he will take care of my enemies. But in bringing this world to justice, each one of us may have loved ones subject to the same destiny as the most vile, evil group of people on the planet. The time is now to pray for the lost. To pray for the victims of violence and oppression. Pray for your friends and family that don’t know the Lord. Pray for terrorists and the people who fund them. And pray for Paul like conversions on the front line of ISIS.